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NC prosecutors want harsher punishments for drug dealers, advocates say their proposal will cause more overdoses
Senate Republicans introduced Senate Bill 189 in early March during a news conference where lawmakers were surrounded by law enforcement and families who have lost loved ones to drug overdose.
End of Covid emergency will usher in changes across the US health system
In response to the pandemic, the federal government in 2020 suspended many of its rules on how care is delivered. That transformed essentially every corner of American health care — from hospitals and…
Mental health care by video fills gaps in rural nursing homes
Video visits are an increasingly common way for residents of small-town nursing homes to receive mental health care. Patients don’t have to travel to a clinic. They don’t even have to get cleaned…
NC Connection:
Closing the News Gap
A special CPP research project on the news needs of rural North Carolinians
Keep up with what’s important
Keep up with all of our in-depth, investigative news and the public interest issues that matter most in North Carolina.
SPECIAL REPORTS
The uncertain future of old-growth forests in North Carolina
This four-part series focusing on the Southside Project, a recent initiative by the U.S. Forest Service, to make the national forest more resilient and sustainable.
Social services in NC may be in the hands of people who don’t meet minimum qualifications.
Why and how it happens, and how other states avoid the problem.
How climate change affects North Carolina’s fisheries
and the people who rely on them for a living.
The importance of sexual assault nurse examiners
and the difficulty of locating them in North Carolina
Justice elusive for NC sexual assault survivors
Climate change is causing erratic weather events and altering ecosystems in the forests of Western North Carolina’s mountains.
What these changes mean and the challenges they pose for managing the forests.
How and why North Carolina counties decide to build
or expand jails, the costs of those decisions
and possible alternatives.
Inconsistency and inequity in child welfare policies across NC
Struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic in state’s prison system
Is one of North Carolina’s main systems
for housing those with mental illness failing?
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MORE STORIES
N.C. Talks: Tools of the trail, the 10 essentials of taking a hike
Hiking is much more than communing with the wonders of nature. It’s about organization and planning for adverse scenarios. As the saying goes, expect the best, but prepare for the worst.
Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part three
With hundreds of mines throughout the state, Burnette and neighbors are likely not alone in sorting out the laws and rules related to the permitting and enforcement of mining.
Medicare Advantage, insuring 1 million patients in North Carolina, faces new challenges to costs, practices
The privately managed Medicare Advantage portion of Medicare is the subject of broad differences of opinion over its cost — including, regulators say, an eye-popping $15 billion in excess payments made in 2021.
Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part two
Several members of the community sent letters to the state expressing concerns with the Mountain Mist requesting a public hearing to address concerns about the mine’s impact, the quality and volume of the spring, the impact of blasting, runoff, dust and the potential loss of their property’s value.
Mining in your backyard: The story of Mountain Mist Mine and the neighbors contesting it, part one
A McDowell County neighborhood’s concerns about the impact of a mining operation drew the attention of state regulators two years ago. In addition to the nuisance of living near a mine, residents of rural Hick Chapel worry the extraction of dimension stone from an open pit could impact their water source.
Medicare Advantage, insuring 1 million patients in North Carolina, faces new challenges to costs, practices
The privately managed Medicare Advantage portion of Medicare is the subject of broad differences of opinion over its cost — including, regulators say, an eye-popping $15 billion in excess payments made in 2021.
Crime & Justice
North Carolina allows ‘anonymous’ sexual assault kits. What does that mean, and how do you get one?
If you’ve been sexually assaulted in NC, you can get a rape kit immediately and later decide whether to report to law enforcement. The DNA in your kit will be preserved. There is no statute of limitations on sexual assault in the state.
Economy
Is rural America growing again? Recent data suggests ‘yes’
After a historic loss in population in the previous decade, rural, or nonmetropolitan, counties grew by 0.13% from 2020-21, according to Census estimates.
Education
NC students fell behind in required vaccinations during the pandemic. Some – not all – are catching up.
In one NC county, more than 73% of high school seniors don’t have required immunizations. But state health officials are optimistic overall.
Environment
Pisgah-Nantahala forest plan approaches finish line
The decadelong planning process was characterized by public engagement over delicate issues, such as land protection and timber cutting.
Health
Teen girls ‘engulfed in a growing wave of sadness, violence and trauma,’ latest youth survey shows
The findings also confirm ‘ongoing trauma’ among lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer or questioning students, CDC official says.
Politics & Government
Looming cuts to emergency SNAP benefits threaten food security in rural America
The cuts to SNAP benefits will uniquely hurt people living in rural America, said Andrew Cheyne, managing director of public policy for GRACE, a nonprofit run by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul focused on reducing childhood hunger. A higher percentage of people depend on SNAP in rural areas compared with metro areas. Those areas already…